Academy Aetherion was a neutral academy that did not side with anyone, even though it was located within the Pathlight Empire.
Inside one of the classrooms, sunlight entered through the gaps in the windows and walls. The warm light carried a positive atmosphere for the students inside the room.
At least, that was how it should have been.
But the classroom Ard taught in was different.
A blood-red aura roared violently and even leaked outside the room itself. The students inside were covered in cold sweat. Their expressions became more vivid, but not in a normal way.
They were terrified.
Their eyes widened, their pupils shrank, and some students even fainted because they could not endure
the pressure.
What exactly happened? Let us return to a few moments earlier.
When Ard entered the classroom, he walked toward the desk prepared for the professor at the center of the room.
Ard stood there with his gaze facing forward as he looked at the students. His eyes moved from left to right, observing each student one by one.
Then he spoke.
"Alright. Some of you may already know me, but I will still introduce myself. My name is Ard Le Ventias, son of the Duke Ventias family. Starting today, I will be the professor teaching this class."
Ard's voice was flat and calm. He stood straight with one hand inside his pocket. His crimson eyes were sharp, as if they could notice even the slightest movement.
After introducing himself, Ard remained silent and glanced at the students one by one, waiting for questions or conversation.
Since nobody spoke, Ard immediately began the
lesson.
"Let us begin the class."
"Ard Le Ventias, right?"
One of the students suddenly spoke.
Ard stopped moving and looked toward the student.
The student continued speaking.
"Ard Le Ventias, son of Duke Ventias. I heard he is not actually the Duke's biological son."
Ard stayed silent, wanting to hear the rest.
Meanwhile, the students began whispering among
themselves.
"Ah, really? I also heard that Ard Le Ventias is not human. He is a demon."
That statement immediately caught the attention of several demon race students inside the class.
A female student with blazing red hair like fire continued the conversation, causing the classroom to grow even noisier.
Her name was Luna de Grave.
She was the daughter of the Marquis Grave family, a family blessed with the fire element since the era of the Great War. It was said that one of their ancestors once defeated several generals from different races.
The first student who spoke earlier was also from the Grave family, none other than her own brother,
Tesslon de Grave.
'No wonder they say things like that to me. They probably see me as competition because I belong to the Ventias family.'
Ard only let out a short sigh and ignored them. He planned to start the lesson immediately.
"I always thought the Ventias family had fallen this low."
"Exactly! Why would they raise that demon?! Did they forget the disaster during the Great War?!"
"The demon race was the worst. They enslaved more races than anyone else, and they were cruel and sadistic."
"The ancestors of Ventias must be ashamed in heaven."
"Of course they are. Their descendants are raising demons and even giving them the family name."
Hearing the students insult him directly in front of his face clearly annoyed Ard.
Even so, he only stared at them coldly.
"Hey, look. I think he is angry."
"Wah~ scary."
"Stop joking around. Don't you know he once beat up a professor because that professor insulted him?"
"Eh?! Seriously?!"
"Wah~ I guess demonic nature really runs in his blood."
The demon race students were obviously angry, but they could not do anything because those were historical facts, and the academy prohibited conflicts without reason.
As for Ard, he only sighed softly and scratched his head.
Their insults felt old-fashioned to him.
"Luna de Grave. Tesslon de Grave of the Grave family. Anna Veldira from the Veldira family, famous for their swordsmanship. Sai Lucius of the Elf race. Viona Ge Lef of the Elf race. Lukas Gremory of the Beastmen race."
"..."
The noisy classroom instantly became silent.
Then Ard continued.
"How pathetic."
Ard smiled at the students, though the smile was clearly insincere.
"...What?"
"I was just thinking how pathetic and outdated all of you are. Is there really nothing else you can say besides those same old insults?"
"You!"
Tesslon stood up from his seat.
"The Grave and Veldira families are not close, yet they can still become 'friends' just to surpass Ventias. Aren't the Grave and Veldira families like a venomous snake and a bird trapped in the same cage? Yet strangely, neither kills the other... Anna."
Hearing her name, Anna Veldira frowned.
"Why do the snake and bird not kill each other?"
"...What do you mean?"
"Ah, it seems the Veldira family lacks proper early education. I asked 'why', but instead of answering, you replied with 'what do you mean?'"
"You!"
Seeing Anna suppressing her anger, Ard only smiled and continued.
"Luna and Tesslon, the Grave family is known for producing talented young people, including both of you. A simple question like this should be easy for you two, right?"
Ard narrowed his eyes while smiling widely. Luna and Tesslon also fell silent, but their veins bulged as they gritted their teeth.
"Seems both families are equally stupid."
"What?!"
"I said the Grave and Veldira families are equally stupid."
"Do you realize what you just said?! Are you insulting two great noble families?!"
Tesslon shouted while slamming the desk.
"Hmm~ Of course not. I am only stating facts. The Grave and Veldira families are foolish."
"Do you know who the Grave and Veldira families are? Even if you belong to Ventias, you cannot possibly face two great families alone."
Anna spoke firmly, though she still tried to stay calm.
Ard stayed silent for a moment before replying.
"You are right. The Ventias family might struggle... a little."
The entire classroom was shocked.
"A little?"
"Yes, a little. Did you forget? No matter what, Ventias still stands above both Veldira and Grave in many aspects."
"Where does that arrogance come from? Are you trying to make the students here become like you?"
"Have I ever considered any of you my students?"
"..."
"And have any of you ever considered me your
professor?"
"..."
Ard snorted softly, knowing those words hit them directly.
"If the Veldira family is the venomous snake and the Grave family is the bird, then naturally they should kill each other because that is how nature works. Snakes and birds are natural enemies. The snake uses its venom and constriction, while the eagle uses its beak and claws."
"..."
Since nobody spoke, Ard continued.
"Both creatures would fight each other fiercely because they are trapped in the same cage. Naturally, both sides are dangerous."
"But while they were fighting, another creature suddenly entered the cage. A powerful predator that naturally counters snakes, and even an eagle would struggle against it in such a small cage without enough momentum."
"That creature is the honey badger."
"Because both animals sense a greater danger, instinct tells them to escape. However, they realize they cannot escape because they are trapped inside the cage. So whether they like it or not, they must kill the honey badger first before continuing their fight."
"Hmph! What is dangerous about a honey badger?! They are just ordinary honey-eating animals!"
Tesslon spoke arrogantly.
"It seems the Grave family has truly declined. You do not even know basic knowledge like this."
"What?! I will-"
"Tesslon, enough."
Luna interrupted him.
"Luna, you dare interrupt me?"
"If you know nothing, then stay quiet."
"Luna, you are getting bolder-"
"The bird and snake would die."
"...Why?!" Tesslon looked shocked.
"The honey badger has thick skin that claws and fangs struggle to pierce. It also has resistance against venom. It is the natural counter of both creatures. And honey badgers do not hesitate to attack the head of their prey."
Everyone in the classroom was shocked by Luna's explanation.
Luna lowered her head. She wanted to deny it, but she could not. It was too humiliating for someone as prideful as her.
The sound of applause echoed.
It was Ard.
"A+ for Luna. Seems your sister can still use her brain."
"...I want to ask something, Professor."
"Go ahead, Luna. It is my duty as a professor to answer my student's question."
"If the venomous snake represents the Veldira family and the eagle represents the Grave family, then who is the honey badger?"
Ard let out a long sigh and touched his forehead, wondering why she even needed to ask something so obvious.
"Isn't it obvious? It is Ventias."
The students were shocked.
They immediately understood that the Ventias family was the natural counter of both families.
"And also, Sai Lucius of the Elf race. Viona Ge Lef of the Elf race. Lukas Gremory of the Beastmen race. Weren't your families among those that once tried to destroy Ventias during the Great War? Unfortunately, the ancestors of Ventias slaughtered your families and only left one survivor from each bloodline."
"Ugh..."
Those words struck deeply.
Ard openly spoke about the fact that the three families from the other races had once been massacred until only one survivor remained from each family line. It sounded less like history and more like humiliation carved directly into their faces.
"Alright. If nobody else has anything to say, then let us begin the lesson-"
"Duke Ventias and the Duchess are truly idiots for raising humanity's greatest enemy. They are dumber than goblins and filthier than the slums in the North. Senior Ard, you are lucky they found you. Otherwise, you would have already been eaten alive by wandering orcs."
A girl sitting in the very back suddenly spoke. One of her hands supported her cheek while her eyes remained fixed on the window.
Ard fell silent.
Then his eyes slowly widened as he stared toward the girl.
"You are right. I truly am fortunate that they found and raised me. I understand that better than anyone. That is why I love them like my own family, even if we do not share the same blood."
Suddenly, a blood-red aura exploded from Ard's body.
The aura burst out violently like blazing flames centered around him. The students' eyes widened in terror. The air became heavy, as if oxygen itself refused to enter their lungs.
The pressure felt like thousands of needles piercing their skin one by one.
"You truly dared to say something like that, my former junior, Claire Winterfail?!"
Ard's pupils narrowed vertically like a cat's. His expression remained cold while his hair floated wildly because of the aura.
Behind him appeared a massive eye with the same terrifying pupil as Ard.
Several students fainted instantly because they could no longer endure the pressure, while others coughed blood from the overwhelming force crushing their bodies.
And that was how everything became like this.
We return to the present.
"Have you forgotten the incident from several years ago? Has your brain been eaten by worms? Or have your brain cells already rotted away?"
'Ugh... Can someone really possess such terrifying pressure besides the Headmaster herself? Who exactly is he? Was Senior Ard always this strong? Back then he was nowhere near this monstrous. With strength like this, dealing with several professors at once would not even be difficult for him. Even in the past, he already crippled one of the academy professors...'
Those thoughts belonged to the quietest yet strongest girl in the class.
Because of her freezing aura and albino appearance, she was known as the Frost Lady.
Her name was Claire Winterfail.
"Ugh... We are all going to die!"
Just as despair filled the classroom, a calm female voice suddenly echoed from the entrance.
"Professor Ard."
Ard turned toward the source of the voice.
Standing there was a beautiful woman with silver-gray hair. Her clothes were tight and slightly revealing, making the curves of her body impossible to ignore.
She was the Headmaster of Academy Aetherion, Elisha.
The moment Ard saw her, the blood-red aura instantly disappeared.
The students who felt like they had been drowning finally gasped for air desperately.
Elisha smiled gently toward Ard, who still stood there expressionlessly. Then she gracefully walked closer while glancing at the exhausted students.
"Professor Ard, your class is rather intense."
Although it sounded like she was praising Ard's strict teaching methods, her true meaning was obvious.
'Do not be too harsh on the students.'
Ard clearly understood her meaning, but he gave no direct answer.
Instead, he clicked his tongue softly before speaking toward the class.
"I know all of you are proud of your strength, talent, background, and family support. But remember this, there is always someone above you. No matter how talented or powerful you think you are, all of you are nothing more than pests in my eyes. I could erase you effortlessly."
"Wow, Professor Ard, that is quite cruel."
"Headmaster-"
"Call me Sister."
"That is embarrassing."
"It is fine, it is fine. We are technically relatives anyway."
"You should maintain your dignity."
"But I want you to call me Sister."
"Oh, come on, Headmaster. I was already tired of returning to this academy. I only wanted to relax at my estate and waste my days lazily. Yet you dragged me back here and even made me teach a class filled with weak idiots."
"Oh? Then why do you call them weak? They are among the best students in Class A."
"And? Even together, they could not endure five percent of my pressure."
The students who were still gasping for breath froze in shock.
That terrifying pressure earlier was only five percent?
Elisha merely laughed softly while covering her mouth with one hand.
"They are students while you are a professor. That is only natural, no?"
"That is true. But even among Class A students, they are still the lowest. What exactly is there to be proud of? Just because they belong to Class A? I can tolerate the others, but not Claire. She was once my junior, yet she has remained in the same Class A rank for the past five years. Even if she is the strongest among them, does she not feel ashamed carrying the Winterfail name?"
Hearing those words, Claire clenched her fists tightly.
Anger and sadness mixed together inside her chest. She lowered her head because she knew his words were true, yet she still refused to accept them.
"You truly are cruel, Professor Ard."
Elisha sighed softly.
"Cruel? Huh... This class cannot even advance to the next level because the students are foolish and only rely on talent and family support. Yet what happened? They cannot even use those talents properly. Truly pathetic."
Claire suddenly stood from her seat and glared at Ard with visible anger. That alone was unusual considering how expressionless she normally was.
"What would you know?! We also work hard to become stronger! We train every single day! We sweat and bleed with our own efforts! You cannot say things so easily!"
"Weak people remain weak. Do you really think training like that is enough to make you strong? Even combined with talent, your arrogance is still far greater than your actual strength."
"...What?"
"You are merely frogs inside a well. The moment you gain a little strength, you immediately start believing you are superior. Then tell me, why can none of you advance to the next level?"
"I-It is because..."
Claire lowered her head again. Her voice trembled weakly.
"Knowing your place is important. Here is my advice to all of you. Throw away your family names. At this rate, those names will only become stains upon your households."
"..."
The classroom fell silent.
Everyone understood Ard's words because deep down, they had all thought about the same thing before. They simply refused to accept it.
A few moments later, Claire suddenly shouted.
"You... I hate you!"
Claire ran out of the classroom while crying. Meanwhile, the others remained frozen in their seats.
"They envy the strength of others so much that they fail to recognize their own strength. Born into powerful families and spoiled their entire lives, they came here carrying nothing but pride and family names. Pitiful children."
The class ended shortly after that.
Ard and Elisha eventually left the classroom as well.